Various bearing structures have been used to support the rotating drier drum within the cabinet of a drier. Such support may take the form of a substantially axial shaft extending from the closed end of the drum and received in suitable bearing. More generally there are bearings on both ends of the drum and in some cases the bearing structure at the open end of the drum is formed within the access opening of the drum. See for example Canadian Pat. No. 787,074, issued June 11, 1968, to Whistler.
It is also known to mount the front end of the drum on rollers which contact the outside of the flange around the access opening of the drier drum as shown for example in Canadian Pat. No 628,464, issued Oct. 3, 1961 to Shapter.
Particular attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,089, issued Feb. 14, 1984 to Jackson which discloses a drier structure wherein the access opening through the cabinet is non-circular and a bearing structure is provided together with a seal that is mounted in part on the inside rim of the access opening of the drum with a cooperating part mounted on the flange surrounding the access opening through the cabinet wall. The particular bearing structure disclosed is a three part structure, one of the parts being formed by securing together a plurality of metal elements. This device provides a means whereby the access opening through the front wall of the drier may be non-circular yet the drier drum bearing may be provided mounted around this opening and in a position to cooperate with a bearing mounted on and conforming with the inner rim of the access opening to the drum.
The structure disclosed in this U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,809, is relatively expensive and requires the use of a plurality of different elements all of which must be fabricated and then secured in position by suitable means such as welding or by tabs, etc. The patent does disclose means for accommodating differential expansion between a plastic bearing insert and the metal of the drum and cabinet by providing a slip joint between the bearing and the drum itself.